PARIS - Alexander Zverev is the overwhelming favorite for the French Open title after defending champion Carlos Alcaraz withdrew injured, and top seed Jannik Sinner and 24-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic were eliminated.
The 29-year-old German, a two-time ATP Finals champion but never a Grand Slam winner, faces 26th-seeded Czech Jakub Mensik in Friday’s semi-finals. Zverev has dropped just one set en route.
Mensik, 20, has survived two five-set battles and defeated Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca in the quarter-finals. He lost to Zverev in Madrid but believes he can reverse the result in best-of-five.
The other semi-final is an all-Italian affair: 10th seed Flavio Cobolli against Matteo Arnaldi, both seeking their first major final appearance.